The common name A common name is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with a scientific name. A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name, nor is it considered less correct than a scientific name (as "common" might imply) mussel is used for members of several families of clams In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs. The word can also be used in a more limited sense, to mean bivalves which burrow in sediment, as opposed to ones which attach themselves to the substrate , or ones which can swim and are migratory, like scallops. In or bivalvia Bivalvia is a class of marine and freshwater mollusks known for some time as Pelecypoda, but now commonly referred to simply as bivalves. As with Gastropoda and Cephalopoda, the term Pelecypoda is in reference to the animal itself while Bivalvia simply describes the shell. Other names for the class include Acephala, Bivalva, and Lamellibranchia mollusca The Mollusca, common name molluscs or mollusks,[note 1] is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. This is the largest marine phylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Molluscs are highly diverse,, from saltwater and freshwater Freshwater mussels are a group of fairly large freshwater clams, aquatic bivalve mollusks from two different taxonomic orders. These mussels inhabit freshwater environments such as rivers, canals, lakes and so on. A few genera, such as Dreissena, can tolerate brackish water as well as freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.

The word "mussel" is most frequently used to mean the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae Mytilidae is a family of small to large saltwater mussels, marine bivalve mollusks in the order Mytiloida. It is the only family in the order, most of which live on exposed shores in the intertidal zone, attached by means of their strong byssal threads ("beard") to a firm substrate. A few species (in the genus Bathymodiolus) have colonised hydrothermal vents A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots associated with deep ocean ridges.

In most marine mussels the shell is longer than it is wide, being wedge-shaped or asymmetrical. The external colour of the shell is often dark blue, blackish, or brown, while the interior is silvery and somewhat nacreous Nacre pronounced /ˈneɪkər/ or "NAY-kər", also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer; it is also what makes up pearls. It is very strong, resilient, and iridescent.

The word "mussel" is also used for many freshwater bivalves, including the freshwater pearl mussels The freshwater pearl mussel, scientific name Margaritifera margaritifera, is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Margaritiferidae, the freshwater pearl mussels. The name "freshwater pearl mussel" should not be construed to mean that other freshwater mussels do not harbor pearls or cannot. Freshwater mussel species inhabit lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, canals, grouped in a different subclass The composition of each class is determined by a taxonomist. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists taking different positions. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing a class, but for well-known animals there is likely to be consensus. For example, dogs are usually assigned to the phylum, despite some very superficial similarities in appearance.

Freshwater Zebra mussels The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a species of small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia. However, it has been accidentally introduced in many other areas, and has become an invasive species in many different countries and their relatives in the family Dreissenidae are not related to previously mentioned groups, even though they resemble many Mytilus species in shape, and live attached to rocks and other hard surfaces in a similar manner, using a byssus The English term byssus or bissus originated in John Trevisa's translation (1398) of Bartholomeus Anglicus's Latin On the Properties of Things (1240), referring to finest white flax from Egypt. From originally meaning "fine linen", the semantics of byssus gradually expanded. They are classified with the Heterodonta, the taxonomic group which includes most of the bivalves commonly referred to as "clams In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs. The word can also be used in a more limited sense, to mean bivalves which burrow in sediment, as opposed to ones which attach themselves to the substrate , or ones which can swim and are migratory, like scallops. In".

Contents

General anatomy

Marine blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, showing some of the inner anatomy. The white posterior adductor muscle is visible in the upper image, and has been cut in the lower image to allow the valves to open fully.

The mussel's external shell is composed of two hinged halves or "valves". The valves are joined together on the outside by a ligament, and are closed when necessary by strong internal muscles. Mussel shells carry out a variety of functions, including support for soft tissues, protection from predators and protection against desiccation.

The shell has three layers. In the pearly mussels there is an inner iridescent layer of nacre Nacre pronounced /ˈneɪkər/ or "NAY-kər", also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer; it is also what makes up pearls. It is very strong, resilient, and iridescent (mother-of-pearl) composed of calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ca , which is continuously secreted by the mantle; the prismatic layer, a middle layer of chalky white crystals of calcium carbonate in a protein matrix; and the periostracum The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the nautilus. Periostracum is an integral part of, an outer pigmented layer resembling a skin. The periostracum is composed of a protein called conchin, and its function is to protect the prismatic layer from abrasion and dissolution by acids (especially important in freshwater forms where the decay of leaf materials produces acids).

Like most bivalves, mussels have a large organ called a foot. In freshwater mussels, the foot is large, muscular, and generally hatchet-shaped. It is used to pull the animal through the substrate (typically sand, gravel, or silt) in which it lies partially buried. It does this by repeatedly advancing the foot through the substrate, expanding the end so it serves as an anchor, and then pulling the rest of the animal with its shell forward. It also serves as a fleshy anchor when the animal is stationary.

A Mytilus with its byssus The English term byssus or bissus originated in John Trevisa's translation (1398) of Bartholomeus Anglicus's Latin On the Properties of Things (1240), referring to finest white flax from Egypt. From originally meaning "fine linen", the semantics of byssus gradually expanded clearly showing, at Ocean Beach, San Francisco The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,977. The only consolidated city-county in California, it encompasses a land area of 46.7 square miles on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a, California California's geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood–Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. California is the most

In marine mussels, the foot is smaller, tongue-like in shape, with a groove on the ventral surface which is continuous with the byssus The English term byssus or bissus originated in John Trevisa's translation (1398) of Bartholomeus Anglicus's Latin On the Properties of Things (1240), referring to finest white flax from Egypt. From originally meaning "fine linen", the semantics of byssus gradually expanded pit. In this pit, a viscous secretion is exuded, entering the groove and hardening gradually upon contact with sea water. This forms extremely tough, strong, elastic, byssus The English term byssus or bissus originated in John Trevisa's translation (1398) of Bartholomeus Anglicus's Latin On the Properties of Things (1240), referring to finest white flax from Egypt. From originally meaning "fine linen", the semantics of byssus gradually expanded threads that secure the mussel to its substrate. The byssus thread is also sometimes used by mussels as a defensive measure, to tether predatory molluscs, such as dog whelks The dog whelk, dogwhelk, or Atlantic dogwinkle, scientific name Nucella lapillus , is a species of predatory sea snail; a carnivorous marine rocky shore gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the rock snails, that invade mussel beds, immobilising them and thus starving them to death.

In cooking, the byssus of the mussel is known as the "beard" and is removed before the mussels are prepared.

Life habits

Feeding

Both marine and freshwater mussels are filter feeders Filter feeders are animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feeding are clams, krill, sponges, some fish and sharks, and baleen whales. Some birds, such as flamingos, are also filter feeders. Filter; they feed on plankton Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. Plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification. They provide a crucial source of food to larger, more familiar aquatic organisms such as fish and cetacea and other microscopic sea creatures which are free-floating in seawater. A mussel draws water in through its incurrent siphon. The water is then brought into the branchial chamber by the actions of the cilia A cilium is an organelle found in eukaryotic cells. Cilia are slender protuberances that project from the much larger cell body located on the gills A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist. The microscopic structure of a gill presents a large surface area to the external for ciliary-mucus feeding. The wastewater exits through the excurrent siphon. The labial palps finally funnel the food into the mouth, where digestion begins.

Marine mussels are usually found clumping In zoology, sessility is a characteristic of animals which are not able to move about. They are usually permanently attached to a solid substrate of some kind, such as a rock, or the hull of a ship in the case of barnacles. Corals lay down their own substrate together on wave-washed rocks, each attached to the rock by its byssus The English term byssus or bissus originated in John Trevisa's translation (1398) of Bartholomeus Anglicus's Latin On the Properties of Things (1240), referring to finest white flax from Egypt. From originally meaning "fine linen", the semantics of byssus gradually expanded. The clumping habit helps hold the mussels firm against the force of the waves. At low tide mussels in the middle of a clump will undergo less water loss because of water capture by the other mussels.

Reproduction

Both marine and freshwater mussels are gonochoristic, with separate male and female individuals. In marine mussels, fertilization occurs outside the body, with a larval stage that drifts for three weeks to six months, before settling on a hard surface as a young mussel. There, it is capable of moving slowly by means of attaching and detaching byssal threads to attain a better life position.

Freshwater mussels also reproduce sexually. Sperm released by the male directly into the water enters the female via the incurrent siphon. After fertilization, the eggs develop into a larval stage called a glochidium (plural glochidia), which temporarily parasitize fish, attaching themselves to the fish's fins or gills. Prior to their release, the glochidia grow in the gills of the female mussel where they are constantly flushed with oxygen-rich water. In some species, release occurs when a fish attempts to attack the mussel's minnow or other prey species-shaped mantle flaps, an example of aggressive mimicry.

Glochidia are generally species-specific, and will only live if they find the correct fish host. Once the larval mussels attach to the fish, the fish body reacts to cover them with cells forming a cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct membrane and division on the nearby tissue. It may contain air, fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of pus is called an abscess, not a cyst. Once formed, a cyst could go away on its own or may have to be removed through surgery, where the glochidia remain for two to five weeks (depending on temperature). They grow, break free from the host, and drop to the bottom of the water to begin an independent life.

Predators

A starfish Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the Class Asteroidea. However, common usage frequently finds "starfish" and "sea star" also applied to ophiuroids which are correctly referred to as "brittle stars& consuming a mussel in Northern California The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento , and the redwood forests, the northern California coast, the Big Sur coastline area, the Sierra Nevada including Yosemite Valley and Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta (the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range), and the Central Valley, one of the

Marine mussels are eaten by humans Humans are a species of animal known taxonomically as Homo sapiens , and are the only extant member of the Homo genus of bipedal primates in Hominidae, the great ape family. However, in some cases "human" is used to refer to any member of the genus Homo, sea stars Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the Class Asteroidea. However, common usage frequently finds "starfish" and "sea star" also applied to ophiuroids which are correctly referred to as "brittle stars&, seabirds, and by numerous species of predatory In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked). Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption. The other main marine gastropods The Gastropoda or gastropods are a large taxonomic class of mollusks that are more commonly known as snails and slugs. This class of animals includes snails and slugs of all kinds and all sizes: huge numbers of marine snails and sea slugs, as well as freshwater snails and freshwater limpets, and the terrestrial snails and slugs. The class in the family Muricidae, such as the dog whelk The dog whelk, dogwhelk, or Atlantic dogwinkle, scientific name Nucella lapillus , is a species of predatory sea snail; a carnivorous marine rocky shore gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the rock snails, Nucella lapillus.

Freshwater mussels are eaten by otters, raccoons, ducks, and geese.

Distribution and habitat

Marine mussels are abundant in the low and mid intertidal zone in temperate seas globally.

Other species of marine mussel live in tropical intertidal areas, but not in the same huge numbers as in temperate zones.

Certain species of marine mussels prefer salt marshes or quiet bays, while others thrive in pounding surf, completely covering wave-washed rocks. Some species have colonized abyssal depths near hydrothermal vents A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. The South African white mussel exceptionally doesn't bind itself to rocks but burrows into sandy beaches extending two tubes above the sand surface for ingestion of food and water and exhausting wastes.

Freshwater mussels inhabit permanent lakes, rivers, canals and streams throughout the world except in the polar regions. They require a constant source of cool, clean water. They prefer water with a substantial mineral content, using calcium carbonate to build their shells.

Aquaculture

Mussel output in 2005. Bouchots are marine pilings for growing mussels, here shown at an agricultural fair. A bed of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, in the intertidal zone in northern Norway After World War II, Norway experienced rapid economic growth, with the first two decades due to the Norwegian shipping and merchant marine and domestic industrialization, and from the early 1970s, a result of exploiting large oil and natural gas deposits that had been discovered in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Today, Norway ranks as the.

In 2005, China accounted for 40 per cent of the global mussel catch according to a FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and study.[1] Within Europe, Spain remained the industry leader. In North America, 80% of cultured mussels are produced in Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population (excluding the territories). The island has a few other names: "Garden of the Gulf" referring to the pastoral scenery and lush agricultural in Canada.[2]

Freshwater mussels are used as host animals for the cultivation of freshwater pearls. Some species of marine mussel, including the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the New Zealand green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus), are also cultivated as a source of food.

There are a variety of techniques for growing mussels.

Mussels as food

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mussels (cooking)
Mussels at Trouville fish market A fish market is a marketplace used for marketing fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both. Retail fish markets, a type of wet market, often sell street food as well. The flesh of cooked mussels can be orange or pale yellow.

Humans have used mussels as food for thousands of years and continue to do so. In Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, mussels are consumed with french fries French fries , fries, or french-fried potatoes or, in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, chips are thin strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans often refer to any elongated pieces of fried potatoes as fries, while in other parts of the world, long slices of fried potatoes are sometimes called fries to contrast them with ("mosselen met friet" or "moules frites") or bread. In France, the Éclade des Moules is a mussel bake popular along the beaches of the Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay or the Cantabrian Sea is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Punta de Estaca de Bares, and is named for the Basque province of Biscay,[citation needed] in the Spanish Basque. In Italy, mussels are often mixed with other sea food, or eaten with pasta. In Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country situated in the Anatolian peninsula, located in Western Asia, and Eastern Thrace, located in southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest;, mussels are either covered with flour and fried on shishs The State Intelligence Service , commonly known by its acronym SHISH, is the primary intelligence agency of Albania. It was created in 1991 by the Albanian People's Assembly as SHIK, acronym of Shërbimi Informativ Kombëtar (National Intelligence Service), but it later changed its name in SHISH ('midye tava'), or filled with rice and served cold ('midye dolma') and are usually consumed with alcohol (mostly with raki Raki is a non-sweet, anise-flavored spirit popularly consumed in Turkey and the Balkans as an apéritif, in particular alongside seafood and mezze or beer). In Cantonese cuisine Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China. Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is renowned both inside and outside China. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. In China, too, it enjoys great prestige among the eight great traditions of Chinese, mussels are cooked in a broth of garlic and fermented black bean. In New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori language name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also, they are served in a chili-based vinaigrette.

During the second World War in the United States, mussels were commonly served in diners. This was due to the unavailability of red meat related to wartime rationing.[3] They are used in Ireland boiled and seasoned with vinegar, with the "bray" or boiling water as a supplementary hot drink.

In India mussels are popular in Kerala, Bhatkal, and Goa. They are either prepared with drumsticks, breadfruit or other vegetables, or filled with rice and coconut paste with spices and served hot. Fried mussels of north Kerala are a spicy, favored delicacy.

Mussels can be smoked, boiled, steamed or fried in batter.

As with all shellfish, mussels should be checked to ensure they are still alive just before they are cooked; they quickly become toxic after dying.[citation needed] A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, will shut tightly when disturbed. Open, unresponsive mussels are dead, and must be discarded. Unusually heavy, wild caught, closed mussels may be discarded as they may contain only mud or sand. (They can be tested by slightly opening the shell halves.)

A thorough rinse in water and removal of "the beard" is suggested. Mussel shells usually open when cooked, revealing the cooked soft parts.

In Belgium, mussels are often served with fresh herbs and flavorful vegetables in a stock of butter and white wine. Frites/Frieten and Belgian beer are popular accompaniments. Months ending in "-ber" (September to December) are said to be the "in" season for mussels.

In the Netherlands, mussels are sometimes served fried in batter or breadcrumbs, particularly at take-out food outlets or informal settings.

Although mussels are valued as food, mussel poisoning due to toxic planktonic organisms can be a danger along some coastlines. For instance, mussels should be avoided along the west coast of the United States during the warmer months. This poisoning is usually due to a bloom of dinoflagellates (red tides), which contain toxins. The dinoflagellates and their toxin are harmless to mussels, even when concentrated by the mussel's filter feeding, but if the mussels are consumed by humans, the concentrated toxins cause serious illness, such as paralytic shellfish poisoning. Usually the U.S. government monitors the levels of toxins throughout the year at fishing sites. See Red Tide.

Freshwater mussels nowadays are generally considered to be unpalatable, though the native peoples in North America utilized them extensively.

Nutrition highlights

Raw blue mussels[4]
Serving size 3 ounces
Calories 70
Protein 10.1 g
Carbohydrate 3.1 g
Fiber 0.0 g
Total fat 1.9 g
Saturated fat 0.4 g
Sodium 243 mg

Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the recommended daily value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the recommended daily value.

See also

References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be and removed. (February 2008)
  1. ^ China catches 0.77m tonnes of mussels in 2005
  2. ^ Calta, Marialisa (August 28, 2005). "Mussels on Prince Edward Island". New York Times. http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/travel/28foraging.html. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  3. ^ Alton Brown, Good Eats,
  4. ^ http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-shellfish-fresh-mussel-blue-raw_f-Y2lkPTM5MjQzJmJpZD0xJmZpZD02MjM1NiZlaWQ9MzU3ODkwMTc2JnBvcz0yJnBhcj0ma2V5PW11c3NlbA.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mussel
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Mussel
Look up mussel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Commercial mollusks
Marine gastropods Abalone · Periwinkle · Whelk · Buccinum undatum
Land and freshwater gastropods Helix pomatia · Helix aspersa · Helix aperta · Cepaea nemoralis · Otala lactea · Escargot
Free-swimming marine bivalves Scallop · Queen scallop · Pecten maximus · Pecten jacobaeus · Argopecten irradians
Infaunal bivalves Clam (Atlantic surf clam, Soft-shell clam) · Mercenaria mercenaria · Austrovenus stutchburyi · Saxidomus nutalli · Arctica islandica · Cockle · Geoduck · Spisula solidissima · Paphies ventricosa · Paphies australis · Paphies subtriangulata porrecta · Paphies subtriangulata quoyii · Paphies subtriangulata subtriangulata · Ruditapes largillierti · Grooved carpet shell
Sessile bivalves Oyster · Mussel · Pearl oyster
Freshwater bivalves Freshwater pearl mussel
Cephalopods Octopus · Squid
Techniques Heliciculture · Gathering by hand · Clam digging · Dredging · Oyster farming · Oyster boats · Pearl farming · Pearl diving · Ama divers · Trawling
List of fishing topics by subject
Principal commercial fishery species groups
Wild
Large pelagic fish Mackerel · Salmon · Shark · Swordfish · Tuna (yellowfin, bigeye, bluefin, albacore and skipjack)
Forage fish Anchovy · Capelin · Herring · Hilsa · Menhaden · Sardines · Shad
Demersal fish Catfish · Cod (Atlantic, Pacific) · Flatfish (flounder, halibut, plaice, sole and turbot) · Haddock · Mullet · Orange roughy · Pollock · Smelt-whitings · Toothfish
Freshwater fish Carp · Sturgeon · Tilapia · Trout
Other wild fish Eel · Whitebait · more...
Crustaceans Crab · Krill · Lobster · Shrimp · more...
Molluscs Abalone · Mussels · Octopus · Oysters · Scallops · Squid · more...
Echinoderms Sea cucumbers · Sea urchin · more...
Farmed Carp (bighead, common, crucian, grass, silver) · Catfish · Freshwater prawns · Mussels · Oysters · Salmon (Atlantic, salmon trout, coho, chinook) · Tilapia · Shrimp
Commercial fishing · World fish production · Fishing topics · Fisheries glossary
Edible mollusks
AbaloneAmphibola crenataArctica islandicaArgopecten irradiansArgopecten purpuratusAtlantic surf clamAuckland oysterAustrolittorina antipodumAustrovenus stutchburyiBao yuBlack abaloneBlood cockleBlue musselBuccinum undatumCalifornia musselCellana exarataCellana sandwicensisChanneled whelkChiton magnificusChorus giganteusClamClam liquorCerastoderma eduleCockle (bivalve)Common periwinkleConchConcholepas concholepasCrassostreaCuttlefishEastern oysterEnsisEnteroctopus megalocyathusEscargotEustrombus gigasGeoduckGillardeau oystersGreen abaloneGrooved carpet shellHaliotis corrugataHaliotis rubraHard clamHelix aspersaHelix lucorumHelix pomatiaHorse clamInkfishKnobbed whelkLightning whelkLimpetLithophaga lithophagaLittorina sitkanaMactra stultorumMusselMya truncataMytilidaeNautilusNew Zealand green-lipped musselOctopusOlympia oysterGreen ormerOstrea angasiOstrea edulisOysterPacific oysterPacific razor clamPaphiesPaphies australisPaphies subtriangulata porrectaPaphies subtriangulata quoyiiPaphies subtriangulata subtriangulataPaphies ventricosaPauaPecten jacobaeusPecten maximusPecten novaezealandiaePerna pernaPerna viridisPink abalonePlacunidaePlebidonax deltoidesPortuguese oysterPod razorRazor shellRazor clamRed abaloneRock oysterRuditapes largilliertiSaxidomus nutalliScallopSenilia senilisShellfishSmooth clamSoft-shell clamSpisula aequilateralisSquidSydney rock oysterTiostrea chilensisVenerupis philippinarumWhelkWhite abalone

Categories: Belgian cuisine | Bivalves | Commercial molluscs | Edible molluscs | Mussels | Seafood

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Fri Jul 30 19:09:58 2010. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.


Port's shellfish contaminated by toxic bloom - Stuff.co.nz
news.google.com
Port's shellfish contaminated by toxic bloom

Stuff.co.nz

People should not eat kina, mussels , pipi, tuatua, oysters or cockles from the affected area, and cooking did not make the shellfish safe to eat, he said. ...



and more »
Google News Search: Mussels,
Thu Apr 22 21:54:28 2010
 Mussels on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
flickr.com
Mussels on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

agencynet

ue, 15 Dec 2009 18:33:40 GM

The newest member of our family with four legs is the adorable . Mussels. .

Google Blogs Search: Mussels,
Thu Apr 22 21:54:30 2010
If vegan/veggie why do you not eat mussels and clams?
Q. I consider myself as a humanitarian eater. I only purchase eggs and goat's dairy products from people who I personally know that raise the goats and chickens completely free range. I ve researched it via the web and found out that although fish, shrimps and calamari feel pain and have brains, mussels and clams do not feel pain nor have a brain at all. I ve posted questions to organisations that deal with animal rights, veganism etc. and they all replied that researches did not show that clams and mussels have brains or feel pain, but that they do not consume it because of the doubt that the researches might have been mistaken. I think that vegans and veggies should be constantly thinking critically, and judge for them what to eat and… [cont.]
Asked by annabel lee - Thu May 31 06:40:54 2007 - - 18 Answers - 0 Comments

A. It is rather simple, really. "Vegetarian" is a definition used for a person who does not eat animals, regardless of reason. People are vegetarians for health, environmental, spiritual and/or moral reasons. A person could certainly eat those animals if s/he wanted to, and that would be fine, but that person would not, by definition, be a vegetarian. You can feel that we need to think more critically, but I have no desire to start looking for animals I *could* possibly get away with eating. And if I ever did decide I wanted to eat an animal, it certainly wouldn't be some slimy clam. :) I didn't decide to stop eating animals so I could be a vegetarian; vegetarian is the word used to define my eating habits because I decided not to… [cont.]
Answered by Squirtle - Thu May 31 06:57:21 2007

Yahoo Answers Search: Mussels,
Thu Apr 22 21:54:31 2010